Brides Hill and Keith Donoghue win the Ballygarry Estate Novice Steeplechase © Photo Healy Racing
Having signalled their emergence from an uncharacteristically quiet period with a four-timer on Monday, the Gavin Cromwell team were back in the winners' enclosure once more following the effortless success of Brides Hill in the Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa Mares Novice Chase at Listowel.
A Listed winner at Thurles in February, the six-year-old failed to complete on her final two starts of the season but stood out as the most likely winner in this company if anywhere near her best.
Supporters of the 2-1 chance never had too many anxious moments, as jockey Keith Donoghue was always sitting motionless on the Dylan Thomas mare before moving up to head leader My Design after the third last fence.
From there, it really was no more than an exercise canter, as Donoghue led out an inch of rein and went further clear entering the straight. Two good jumps at the final fences, allowed the Meath man to sit up and coast home on the Cromwell trained mare.
Gavin Cromwell, “She did it well and I suppose on ratings she was entitled to win.
“I’m delighted with the way she jumped. Her jumping has been in and out and we’ve done an awful amount of schooling with her.
“It’s just a confidence thing with her and she can go down to the first and balloon it but she jumped well today and made it look easy.
“She gave herself a fright one day in Fairyhouse and she can do something similar at home and bank a fence.
“That’s a great confidence booster for her. We’ve had this race in mind since she went out to grass and we’ll look at the mares races for her now.”
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
